Readers' Tips Summarized

2008 Horror Bundle at YourGamesNow.com

Fasten the shutters and light the candles...it's Halloween!
This bundle has all you need to add an element of horror to
your game, including Halls of Horror (Tabletop Adventures),
Seeds: Horror I-V (Expeditious Retreat Press), Disposable
Heroes Horror Statix 1: Classic Monsters (Precis Intermedia)
and Modern Monsters Set (Arion Games). Even better, you save
15% off these titles when you pick up the Horror Bundle!

A Brief Word From Johnn

4E In Kobold Quarterly?

If you are a fan of the Kobold Quarterly magazine, or
Wolfgang Baur's Open Design projects, then you might be
interested in voting for what game system should be
supported: D&D 4E, Pathfinder, D&D 3.5, other?

YMIAT's First Contest - Can You Scare Us?

The YouMeetInATavern.com staff asked me to pass along news
about their Halloween contest. You can win RPGNow gift
certificates for designing a horror game adventure, a one to
two page monster, or villain with the system of your choice.

Kobold Goes Kolor

Issue #7 of Kobold Quarterly breaks into color, with
official PATHFINDER monsters and Steampunk monsters for your
D&D game, plus an Ecology article and Gunpowder Magic. This
issue also includes a Guide to Dwarven Airships with
complete maps and new gear for rogues. Subscribe today and
have the print issue delivered to your door. Or check out
the free Monday Monsters and other articles on
KoboldQuarterly.com.

Dark & Gritty Gaming Tips

Compiled by Roleplaying Tips Editor Hannah L.

A while back, I asked for advice on my upcoming D&D 4E game,
which I was hoping to run with a dark and gritty tone. The
game has been a great success so far, thanks in no small
part to all of the fantastic tips I received.

There was a good deal of overlap, but each tip also
presented something new. There were so many good tips that I
couldn't even fit them all in one article! Look for part 2
coming soon.

1. Zombacalypse-Style Grit

I run a D20 Modern "Zombacolypse" game that is dark and
gritty. Other than viral deathspawn zombies, there is
nothing mystical and magical. No powers or anything.

First, do not go too extensive on background - too much work
for character creation when the game will be highly fatal.
If your character survives long enough, your play will
dictate your background.

Have some backup characters ready. The characters started at
4th level and could be equipped with whatever they wanted
(within reason). This really got the players' minds
churning.

I found that being reasonably strict on encumbrance rules
had a gritty effect. You might have 2000 rounds of rifle
ammo, but can you carry 2000 rounds of rifle ammo?

I always need to remember to keep the minutiae out. Things
are valued with Trade Units or TUs. This rule is pulled from
D20 Apocalypse, modified to my taste. A TU equals one day of
use, so one day of gas, three cans of food, or one shotgun
shell. The system is crunchy enough to keep things gritty
but open enough to add fluff when needed.

Brush up on your starvation, dehydration and exposure rules.
Disease is another big one, adding modifiers due to lack of
hygiene.

I also played up the fact they are not used to extreme
conditions, so maintenance of gear has not reared its ugly
head yet. Since only one of these survivors is military
trained, it is up to that player to mention it and train the
others in basic gear maintenance. No mechanic needed; all I
have to do is imply it, and the players will take it
seriously.

Treasure will slowly devolve from fresh food; silver and
gold; gas and cars and boats; and cases of ammo; to a few
shotgun shells, a day of food, and an occasional bottle of
soap or some mechanical parts.

So far, we have had five sessions and they are relatively
safe in a very friendly Mormon Compound. I plan to shake
things up next session by killing some of the better NPCs,
and I plan to keep doing this. Have your players establish a
relationship and then kill the NPC off. Take your time.

2. Alternate Mechanics for Gritty Games

From: Patrick Riegert

My personal preference is for darker, grittier games. Even
though you're running 4th edition, you may want to check out
The Black Company by Green Ronin. In my opinion, it is one
of the best campaign settings for D&D and has some
exceptional rules for Grievous Wounds, Infection, Surprise
and a great Damage Threshold rule. Here are takeaways you
can add to your 4E game to make it tough and gritty:

Grievous Wounds: When a critical is scored, by a player or
against one, you roll on a table to see if a grievous wound
is inflicted. Simple enough, and has been done before with
targeted attacks or called shots house rules, but this is
pretty gritty: from temporarily losing mobility in a limb
(Dex penalty) to actually losing a limb.

Infection: The setting assumes low magic and no divine or
healing magic. There are feats for physician and an advanced
physician feat that allows hit points to be restored, but
unless you're a wizard with the Healing talent, there's no
magical healing.

So, wounds have a chance to become infected, either halving
natural healing times (or halving the value of a healing
surge) or actually making the injury worse (sepsis). To
adapt this, go with a disease track style mechanic from the
4E DMG.

Damage Threshold: Every character has a personal damage
threshold equal to their Constitution plus their level.
Being hit for, or in excess of, this threshold value forces
a saving throw. Failing that, the PC goes to 0 health and
must either be stabilized with a Heal check or use the
"three strikes or you're out" 4E rule for death saves.

Given some classes' abilities to easily exceed this, you
might want to set 3/4 health as the damage threshold. That
would mean a 2nd level Fighter with 34 hp would have a
damage threshold of 25. Or use some other system you think
is fair.

Surprise: Whoever has the advantage of surprise can carry
the fight. Anyone hit during the surprise round
automatically rolls as if their damage threshold has been
exceeded. You might want to make this a 5 or better saving
throw instead of the standard 10 or better, or PCs can add
their Con modifier to their saving throw roll.

Another alternative is to have characters hit during a
surprise round become dazed. This is less brutal than the
damage threshold variant, but still makes the surprise round
important.

I think you could bring in some great house rules from Black
Company. Also, check out Iron Heroes to incorporate how they
handle shields and armour. They lend a bit more realism to
combat, I think, by removing the all or nothing staple of
D&D armour class rules.

3. Atmospheric And Theme Music

From: Fraggle F

I have been GMing various games for awhile now, and I have a
tendency for creating weird and disturbing plots. I usually
have to make a conscious effort to try and inject a bit of
comedy or lightheartedness into my sessions, or my party can
begin to feel a bit over-oppressed.

One of my tips is to chuck in a bit of swash and buckle, and
most certainly a bit of comic relief now and then for fear
of your characters, and perhaps even players, becoming
depressed with the story.

One technique I have used to great effect is theme tunes. If
you have a nasty, recurring bad guy, or a clear villain, in
your story, then choose a creepy, unnerving song or
soundtrack for him.

In my current campaign I use the monolith choral piece from
2001: A Space Odyssey. The first time my party met their
adversary, very early on in their careers, I used this
track. It was a frightening encounter created to show them
how powerful he is. A guide NPC was killed in a whimsical
way, and my characters were warned off their current path in
typical villain style.

Since this event, whenever this badguy has been present, or
even when events are unfolding that have been influenced by
his machinations, I play a refrain or two of the badguy's
theme. Instantly, my players will sit forward as worried
grins appear on their faces. They know something nasty is
going on, and that the villains' eyes and ears are nearby.

The BBC Polyphonic Workshop has a number of soundtrack CDs.
The majority of the tracks were created for the original
Doctor Who series and have a variety of moods. The Dalek's
Control Room on repeat created a very dark and oppressive
atmosphere when a party in my sci-fi/fantasy game were
investigating a recently abandoned space-station overrun
with toothy aliens.

Again, in later sessions when the party came across these
alien creatures, I would play a short burst of this track,
as though the characters are remembering the horrific
experience they had when they were hunted on that space-
station.

Plenty of shadows and teeth in your game always helps give
it a horror edge to keep things dark!

4. Emotion And Environment

From: Daan Noordeloos

I would love to share some dark ideas I use in my post
apocalyptic campaign.

In my campaign setting the world literally split into
continental masses of earth that sustain life. These
enclaves, as they are called, are floating in the atmosphere
and are tormented with the principle of shortage. My entire
campaign is run on this principle.

Some enclaves have shortages of water, other don't have
food, etc. The campaign is set 500 years after the sundering
of the world. The sundering took place after a conflict
between man and the gods. Due to these facts suspicion is
common.

Whole groups of inhabitants are gathering their complete
savings and buying a portal to other enclaves, much like the
settlers. My players enjoy this setting because they must be
on their toes all the time. I use the following challenges
to keep them interested:

Environment. The environment is a character in my game,
constantly working with or against the party. I use audio
files and descriptions, as well as skill checks, to make my
players aware of this fact.

The element of surprise. The players have joined a group
of settlers and are constantly adapting themselves to these
new circumstances.

Distrust and corruption. Where there is poverty, there is
corruption. They can't trust anyone.

Seduction. Where there is corruption, my players are
offered the easy way out constantly. But this always has
consequences.

This survey creates character depth, gives me the chance to
use personal character traits to spice up the drama, and
only takes 30 minutes to complete.

Contrast. I think there must be contrast. If a hero is
only a hero, it gets boring. Sometimes you must kick them
down before you let them get up.

Conflict. It's not always about the battle; it's about the
conflict. A good standoff, or a fierce disagreement within
the party, is great for RP purposes. I used hunger as a
trigger. My group hadn't eaten for a while and they had to
decide how to survive. This could only be done by eating one
of the bodies they had, and an enormous conflict took place
between the cleric and the rest of the party.

Descriptions. You see, hear, smell, etc. I use vivid
imagery. Live the nightmare!

I use these concepts to make a great game. A last and
important ritual is the pre-game session for each player. My
players almost have complete freedom on character
development. But they do get some things from the GM, like
things that happened to them and people they know. I use
this to give the characters an edge. The players need to
take these things into consideration, and they always relate
to the plot.

Should GMs Charge Money?

Awhile ago I posed the question to you - should GMs get
paid? If so, under what circumstances. Following were your
replies. Thanks for the e-mails!

From: Mike Bourke

I have never charged money per se to run a campaign, but
have been forced at times into activities that skirt very
close to the line, and have had to consider it from time to
time.

Gaming club fees: At one point, my players and I were
part of an organised gaming club. There were per-session
fees to cover hall rental and insurance, which from time to
time I simply could not afford given my financial
circumstances at the time. My players decided that since
there wasn't a game without the GM, they would share the
cost between them when it was necessary. They might have
become disgruntled if I abused their generosity, but it was
only an occasional issue.

Transport: Similarly, there have been occasions when I
simply could not get to the game without the donation of
vehicle space and petrol from one of my players. More often
these days, this is due to health issues than financial
ones, but this is still a regular benefit that I receive
from my players.

Food and Snacks: It was tradition in the group a friend
of mine was part of that everyone chipped in to purchase
food and drink for the GM - not as payment for running the
game, but in recompense for the inconvenience the GM incurs
to other aspects of their lives due to the need for game
prep. He in turn brought the practice into my group, though
it does not happen every week. The players justify the
practice on the basis of enlightened self-interest: a GM on
a sugar low and distracted by hunger pangs was more likely
to be in a bad mood and less inclined to be generous when it
came to marginal calls.

Game Supplements: Several of my players have bought game
supplements, which they then want to use in play (or they
have wasted their money). It's a hard-and-fast rule in my
campaigns that nothing from outside source books is
permitted until I've reviewed it for campaign fit and game
balance. To achieve that, they are quite happy to lend me
the supplements they want me to look at. Some of these
supplements have proven to be far more useful to GMs than
players; when that's the case, they often convert the loan
into a gift. They look on this as investing in the campaign
and in their own entertainment. The net effect is I can
spend my money on other supplements, effectively giving the
campaign two expansions for the price of one.

From: Ian Winterbottom

Here is my two pennyworth:

I wouldn't consider any contribution to a game as "Beyond
the Pale", wouldn't refuse it, but I wouldn't ask for it,
still less demand it. You have to contribute to the game or
forget eet, and you get people who don't wanna play but
think they can contribute by shoving in a few quid.
Sometimes they are even right!

From: Bertram

Hello,

I just thought I'd share my two cents on the topic of paying
the GM. In my opinion, it's a double-edged blade. On one
side, everything might work just fine and the question of
buying material would be solved elegantly. On the other
hand, it might make the game less of a game and more serious
business.

I'd never ask my players to pay (even if my expenses were
higher than a trip to the paper shop once a month) because I
don't think my GM skills are high and some player might let
off something like, "And I've payed for this crud?" and I'd
probably have to agree. The players would be angry about the
loss of money and I'd have performance pressure.

To be fair, I never had to buy anything for the group.
Snacks are a group thing, sometimes there's even homemade
cake. We also don't have much paperwork around. The 2 "real"
game books have been on our shelves for 5 years (DrD 1.6)
and only get taken out for mindless hack'n'slashing and
laughing about futile attempts of the Czech in imitating
DnD.

One exception to my group's Amish-like economy should be
mentioned though. One of my players has extraordinary
perspiration-related abilities bound to the inner sides of
his hands. He rules the fine line between astonishment and
disgust. And, at the time of the purchase, I was the only
one who had a complete set of dice.

You do the math.

From: RND(axe)

The GM should never charge his players for the game. Period.
End of discussion. It's a social event, not a business
venture. If he is putting out his money for game materials,
that is his choice, not the responsibility of the players to
subsidize.

In our group, we each show up with two bucks to throw in a
jar, which covers costs of Coke and the occasional DingDong
or other snack that the game host (whoever is putting up the
location for the game) will provide. Whoever is hosting the
game (be he GM or player) is expected to provide the Coke
and snacks, but it is the members of the group who pay the
dues for this.

If I was in a group where the GM started an actual charge
per session, there would have to be some immediate and
obvious benefit to the players (better-quality and more
handouts or props for instance, or more in-depth setting
backgrounds), otherwise I would immediately object and
possibly leave the group.

Thanks for your site and emails.

From: Kate Manchester

If I'm a GM, there is only one situation where I'd charge my
players to play. That would be if I were having to pay to
rent the space. Since there are lots of free options
available (like a 24 hour Starbucks!) I've never had to do
it. You GM because you love the game you're running, not
because you're looking to make money.

On the other hand, I've paid to play in games. Most of the
time these were Live Action Games, where what you're paying
for is the cost of supplies (index cards, printer ink, etc.)
or maybe the game site itself, but the amount was never very
much. I've also attended several gaming conventions, where
you're basically paying to play in a game.

So what are my expectations for a regularly scheduled paid
game (as opposed to a convention game)? Not much different
than when I don't pay to play. An impartial GM, for
starters. That means they don't give advantages to people
they're better friends with. I expect to have fun. What's
the point of playing in an RPG if you're not having a good
time?

I also expect the ST to be responsive. That means answering
my clarifications/IC requests before the start of the next
game - especially if there are two or more weeks between
games. Exceptions can be made for extenuating circumstances,
of course.

Cheers!

From: Roger Barr

Normally, RPGs are played for fun, but the work of a GM is
often labor intensive for working out more detailed and
organized games. Sometimes, GMs are needed for gaming groups
and not available. In that situation, "hiring" one may be
needed. This can get sticky fast, as players who want to
play and not run games are often confused as to why they
would need to pay to play. This is not an ideal option, as
playing a game should never be considered "work", but can be
an acceptable option if the group and the GM can hammer out
an agreement in advance. A few commonly asked questions I
have encountered are below.

Q. Is this being performed as work for the GM, or in other
words, would he not be playing with this group of players
otherwise? (i.e. Is he a guest GM for a game club in which
he is not a member? Is he coming in as a GM to a convention
style event?)

A. Most conventions offer some kind of discount or incentive
to encourage GMs to come and run games for people outside
the GM's normal game groups. Usually, this is a reduction in
the fees to attend the convention, but rarely is actual
cash. A school game club might consider offering a small
donation as an incentive for running a game to a visiting GM
as a way to say thanks for the work involved. Usually, these
are one shot games, not campaigns. Anytime the GM is
performing a "professional" service that would not normally
be provided otherwise as regular game playing entertainment,
then payment for time spent working is perfectly acceptable.

Q. Is the GM having to spend cash out of his own pocket for
the game on materials he would otherwise not purchase and
would like to be reimbursed?

A. If the group is fine with that, then it enriches the
game. I would also say, however, that if the group is buying
the book, it should go in the group's library for future use
to benefit that group, unless the group agreed in advance to
give it to the GM as a thank you gift.

Q. Is this question being asked by a GM in a regular game
group who is running into problems with finding the time to
work up good adventures and wants some kind of benefit for
performing the work of the GM?

A. If this is the GM's normal game group, then perhaps cash
is not the best idea. The scenario of payment for services
can ruin a relationship based on friendship and a desire to
game together and replace it with the employer vs. employee
mentality. If the GM is overworked or simply not happy, take
a break; have someone else run, or play a game that does not
demand so much time and effort away from the group. Our game
group often takes an evening off and plays a card or board
game to give the GMs a rest, and most of our game group
members are GMs and take turns running different campaigns.
Sometimes you just need a break.

Mobility should be challenged often but not forbidden
(avoid the extremes of the sprinting contest and the
immobile slugfest/shootout.)

Interesting features (fixed or mobile) for players to
improvise with.

It should be describable in a concise manner that
stimulates players' creative thought processes. Ideally, lay
down a map, plan, or sketch to accelerate the description
process.

With that in mind, onto the tips:

I do a fair amount of LARPing, so copying an interesting
LARP site into a game is easy. Instant 3D visualisation! You
*know* how the site looks sounds, smells. Its heights and
depths and textures. (Surfing LARPing sites for their photos
of good scenes might help for non-LARPers.)

Build on what you know and don't be shy about visiting new
places to acquire more knowledge.

I scan images from magazines and various other sources
and use those for inspiration. Ditto for instant
visualisation (but not quite as good as 1) above). I also
rely on the plans, maps, and similar that I have stored up
(both paper and image files) over the years.

Google Earth is quite good for flat, aerial views of
cities and castles. You have to save the entire browser page
and then pluck out the images or save a screenshot (there
are freeware programs for this around) and crop. 2D only,
but a good level of detail.

The rest is down to the art of capsule descriptions and
colour psychology to help fix the scene in players' minds.

Maps and plans come in handy if you can find or generate
them. Have a look at the Wizards of the Coast map archives
for some good (and some dull) ones.

2. Campaign Holiday Idea - Temple Race

From: Michael Marchant

In my campaign world, this holiday takes place on the 18th
of December, and is one of many activities surrounding the
Pontiarvo's Day Festival that runs from December 12th
through to the 19th, with Pontiarvo's Day falling on the
17th.

There are 14 gods in the pantheon, and each god has at least
one day in the year where the people of Arboraceum celebrate
them and give thanks for their aid during the year.
Pontiarvo, as the head of the pantheon, is the most
important, and the week-long festival is in some ways akin
to our Christmas.

The Temple Race is a spectacular competition between the
temples, and will be carried out in the six cities across
the country that are large enough to hold the race. In the
morning, hordes of priests and novices arrive at the
designated starting point, with each temple having a large
emblem of their god or goddess. When the race starts (in
Ponta, the capital, the King starts the race) the priests
race off on a circuit around the city doing their best to
win.

Each temple will have spent weeks before the race designing
their emblem, and this is taken seriously and done in
secrecy. The emblem needs to clearly represent their god, it
needs to be as large and impressive as possible, and at the
same time it needs to be as light as possible so as to
enable the priests to carry it at speed.

A group of priests will be designated to carry the emblem,
others will protect the emblem and those carrying it, and
others will be designated to try to sabotage the efforts of
other temples in the race. This causes something of a free
for all, with priests and novices brawling in the streets,
falling over, emblems crashing to the ground, to be hastily
repaired. The whole city will turn out, lining the streets
to watch, and they too will sometimes get involved, either
as innocent victims of the brawling, or as supporters of one
temple or another. Both men and women compete, and novices
begin at the age of twelve, so there will be plenty of
youngsters too.

There is no competition between the gods and the temples,
normally. The Arboracean populace worship all the gods,
although they may favour some gods over others as
appropriate to their trade or situation, and there is no
competition between them for worshipers, but on this day
it's open warfare, and plenty of grudges and old scores will
be settled.

The result of the race is very important, because the order
in which the temples finish is the order in which the temple
bells will ring each morning for the next year. Each morning
at dawn, the winning temple will ring their bells to wake
the city, then the second place temple will ring their
bells, and so on until the last placed temple rings their
bells last of all. So, this is a year long reminder of who
came where in the race.

Usually, the Temple of Pontiarvo wins, with Pontiarvo being
the god of lordship, war, hunting, and so on. His priests
are generally tougher and better trained in martial skills
than the others.

There are plenty of plot hooks here:

PCs can get involved in the race, helping one temple or
another (especially if one of them is a priest).

PCs can be involved in spying missions to find out what
the Temple of Arbora's emblem is like this year, or to find
out the truth of the rumours that the Temple of Denisaris
has a huge and impressive emblem but that's lighter than any
before.

There are opportunities for pickpockets, assassins,
gambling, and politics. The King and Queen, many of the
nobles, and many of the most important people in the Kingdom
will be present. Many individual acts of heroism (and
cowardice) will be noticed.

There is far more to this than I have been able to describe
here, but for brevity's sake I'll leave it at that.

3. Add Environmental Spice Without More Dice

From: Mark of the Pixie

A way to add environmental spice and not double the number
of dice you need to roll is to assign raw scores to
environmental hazards. If (and only if) they roll one of
those specific numbers (say 8 and 13) on their attack roll,
then they get hit by the hazard right after their attack.

So, if the PCs are fighting on a bridge in a burning
building, you can set "falling off the bridge" as a 3,10 and
17. You then say that being "hit by burning debris" is 6,
9,12 and 15.

The PCs then roll their attacks as normal: a 3, 18 and a 15.
After making his attack the first PC then falls off the
bridge (I would let him catch hold and give him a reflex
save next round to avoid falling all the way). PC two avoids
both hazards, and the last PC is hit for d6 fire damage from
falling debris.

You can also vary the hazard numbers for different areas
(handrail is missing from some parts of the bridge, adding 5
and 15 to the falling off hazard) or to account for PC
actions ("I hold my shield over my head while I fight" might
negate the burning debris hazard, but also negates your
shield bonus for the fight). Keep in mind this should also
apply to the bad guys (unless they are immune to fire and/or
capable of flight).

You can even mark this up on the map beforehand, or just
stick it on with post-its as needed.

This is a simple and quick way to add spice and danger
without adding more dice rolls and without slowing things
down too much.

4. Dice Science

Johnn: I scooped this news item from Mark at his Creative
Mountain Games website. Very interesting stuff!

"Colonel Lou Zocchi of Game Science announced his retirement
from the dice business this year at Gencon. A pair of videos
have surfaced on YouTube interviewing Zocchi and allowing
him to share a bit of his extensive knowledge on all things
dice."